Belt-controlled winding device for metal strips



Feb. 4, 1969 G. P. DEHAINE ET AL 3,425,252

' I BELT-CONTROLLED WINDING DEVICE FOR METAL STRIPS F l May 5. 1966 Sheet 4 of 4 //VVE V7DIQJ Geomgs P. Deuame Pue 2.25 6. MAIGE 4 TTOBIVEK? H Feb; 4, 1969 e. P. DEHAlNE ETAL 3,425,252

BELT-CONTROLLED WINDING DEVICE FOR METAL STRIPS Filed May 5, 1966 Sheet g of4 //VVENTOEJ Cisoeees DEHAINE PIERRE Gr- MAIGE- Feb. 4,1969 G. P. DEHAINE ET AL 3,425,252

BELT-CONTROLLED WINDING DEVICE FOR METAL STRIPS Filed May 5, 1966 Sheet 3 Of 4 19 /A(V/V70J GEORGE-S D. DEHAINE PIERRE Gr- MAIGE masomffi w ufiL gammei.

A TTOlQ/VEKJ Feb. 4', 1969 G. DEHAINE E A $3 BELTCQNTRQLLED WINDING DEVICE FOR METAL STRIPS Filed May 5. 1966 Sheet 4 of 4 Gi -oases P. DEHAlNE DIEIZIZE G. MAIGE United States Patent US. Cl. 72-148 Int. Cl. B21c 47/12; B65h 54/02 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A belt-controlled winding device for metal strips comprising a framework having an opening formed therein and which carries belt return rollers and a pivotable withdrawal arm. The framework being articulately mounted on a fixed supporting frame by means of a front and a rear pair of arms and wherein the framework is suspended from the fixed supporting frame in such a manner that the axes of articulation of the front arms are farther apart than the axes of articulations of the rear arms and the distance between the axes of articulation on the fixed supporting frame is farther apart than the distance between the axes of articulation on the framework.

The present invention relates to a belt-operated winding device for metal strips, this device being intended for use in conjunction with a coiling apparatus mounted at the outlet from a roll train.

The belt-operated winding devices generally comprise a supporting frame, a movable framework of which the central part is hollowed out, a number of rollers embraced by the belt and a pivotable arm bearing two rollers, by which arm the contact are between the spindle and the belt can be increased so that when the framework is in the operating position the arc reaches about A of the circumference of the said spindle.

Devices of this type are already known, in which the framework is mounted on a carriage which can slide in a rectilinear direction on the supporting frame, its purpose being to convey the winding device from the position of rest to the operating position.

Devices of this kind suffer from the drawback that they cannot be removed from the spindle with the required rapidity. This speed of operation is most important, because in the case of high-speed rolling mills the time required for the removal of the Winding device is unproductive. The fact is that throughout the said time the speed of the roll train has to be kept very low; furthermore, a strip rolled under these conditions cannot be kept within the thickness tolerances allowed and then has to be rejected. This results in a production loss which has to be reduced to a minimum by operating the winding device at a high speed.

Winding devices are likewise known in which the framework is suspended on a supporting frame by two suspension arms integral with the framework. In such devices the framework describes a circular are about the point at which it is pivotably connected to the supporting frame. Rapid removal of the winding device is only possible if the pivotable arm is very large, and this leads to vibrations which militate against the satisfactory operation of the said device.

In a further known method for the construction of a winding device, the framework is pivotably connected to the supporting frame by means of two pairs of arms, the straight lines passing through the points at which the arms are pivotably connected to the framework and also through those at which they are pivotably connected to the supporting frame, thus forming a quadrilateral. When the winding frame is placed in position around the spindle, i.e. when the frame is moved from its position of rest to its operating position, the front points of the framework describe curved paths of which the convexity is at the top; if we examine one of these curved paths, we see that the lowest rear point corresponds to the position of rest and the lowest front point to the operating position of the framework, these two points being substantially at the same level. Consequently, the framework has to be held back in the final phase in which it is placed in position, since, under the effect of gravity, the framework tends to cause the belt to come in contact with the spindle too suddenly, leading to their premature deterioration. Furthermore, the framework can only be withdrawn very slowly, and the withdrawal arm pivotably mounted on the framework and intended to surround part of the spindle must be mounted on the said framework at a point farther towards the rear than the axis of the spindle when the framework is in the operating position. The withdrawal arm therefore has to be fairly long, which renders it sensitive to the vibrations produced by the sheet metal winding itself around the spindle. Instead of reducing the vibrations, this type of arm tends to amplify them, so that in the transition from one layer to the next the sheet metal is frequently marked and has to be discarded.

The present invention remedies the aforementioned drawbacks, its main object being to provide a winding device which can be rapidly placed in position on and withdrawn from the spindle of the coiling apparatus, all vibrations in the withdrawal arm being avoided.

For this purpose, the belt-operated winding device, comprising a framework movable on a supporting frame, with a central hollowed-out part, and a pivotable withdrawal arm, and a number of rollers bearing the belt intended to be applied against at least of the periphery of the spindle of a coiling device, to keep the end of the metal strip against the surface of the spindle, and comprising jacks to control the movement of the framework and of the pivotablc withdrawal arm, in accordance with the invention, is characterized by the fact that the framework is suspended on the supporting frame by means of two pairs of suspension arms, and that the quadrilateral formed by the straight lines passing through the points at which the suspension arms are pivotably attached to the framework and through those at which they are pivotably attached to the supporting frame has a rear side smaller than the front side, and that the distance between the points at which the suspension arms are pivotably attached to the frame is greater than that between the points at which they are pivotably attached to the framework.

Thanks to this arrangement, the front points of the framework describe, during the movement of this latter, paths which are substantially rectilinear and horizontal, despite the fact that the framework is suspended pendulum-fashion, and the force of gravity can be utilized during the withdrawal, and even during the positioning of the framework, without damaging the belt.

The purpose of the present invention will 'be understood still more completely from the description of a method by which it can be carried out, without any limitative effect, and by reference to the attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows, in section, a lateral view of the Winding device to which the invention relates;

In FIGURE 2, the left-hand portion shows a halfsection along the broken line A--A of FIGURE 1, While 3 the right-hand half of the diagram shows a half-section along the broken line BB of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3-6 are schematic lateral diagrams of the various positions of the winding device.

The framework 1 of the winding device consists of two side plates 2 and 3, hollowed out from their front face in order to provide a semi-cylindrical space 4 which can accommodate a sprindle 5 of a coiling device, not shown in the drawing. The side plates 2 and 3 are interconnected by struts which form advantageous pivoting axes or stops for various arms.

Each of the side plates 2 and 3 is thus U-shaped, and the branches are provided at their ends with a pivotable withdrawal arm 6 and also with a pivotable extension arm 7, each fitted with two supporting rollers S, 9 and 10, 11 for the belt 12, which is stretched at a constant tension by means of two tension rollers 13 and 14, mounted on the end of a lever 15, of which the other end is pivotably mounted at 16 on the rear part of the framework 1, which lever is connected, at a point situated between its centre and its pivoting axis 16 on the side plates 2 and 3, to a device 17 capable of causing the lever to move towards the rear part of the framework 1, in such away as to stretch the belt 12 at a constant tension, a stop 18 being provided to limit the rear travel of the device 17 and of the lever 15 (see FIGURE 3).

The control device 17 of the lever 15 consists of a single-stroke pneumatic jack of which the other end is pivotably attached to the lower branch of the side plate 2, the piston of this jack 17 being at all times subjected to a constant pressure.

The lower part of the framework 1 is pivotably attaohed, in the position of the axis 19, to the front suspension arm 20, and the rear part of the framework 1 is pivotably attached, in the position of the axis 21, to the rear suspension arm 22. The other ends of the arms 20 and 22 are mounted on pivoting shafts 23 and 24, which are integral with a supporting frame 25.

The upper pivotable arm 6, termed the withdrawal arm is pivotably mounted by means of a shaft 26, on the front end of the upper part of the framework 1, and is connected to the rod of a single-stroke pneumatic control jack 27, which is likewise pivotably mounted on the rear part of the framework 1. A stop 28 serves as a support for the rear part of the arm 6 when it is raised (see FIGURES 35) by the aid of the jack 27, which enables the roller 9 to be applied against the spindle 5 with a constant force.

The lower pivotable arm 7, known as the extension arm, is pivotably mounted, by means of a shaft 29, on the end of the lower branch of the side plates 2 and 3. The two rollers 10 and 11 are mounted on the longest portion of this arm 7, opposite to the framework 1 in relation to the pivot shaft 29. This arm 7, under the effect of its own weight, tends to stretch the belt 12 and to move its shorter rear part farther away from a stop 30 limiting the pivoting travel towards the upper part of the rollers 10 and 11 when the belt 12 is applied against the spindle 5 (FIG- URES 1, 5, 6). It will be noticed that thanks to this lower arm 7 it is easy to cover over the sprindle 5 with the framework 1, without the arm 6 being moved away, and at the same time to cause the belt 12 to embrace the spindle 5 through an angle equal to 180 (FIGURE 5).

The winding device can be advantageously supplemented by an entrance table 31, this table 31 being positioned below the front roller 9 of the upper arm 6.

To the upper third of the front suspension arm 20 is pivotably attached the rod of a hydraulic jack 32, in which diampers are incorporated and which is pivotably attached by its cylinder to the upper part of the supporting frame 25 between the pivoting shafts 23 and 24. The straight lines passing through the pivoting axes 19, 21, 23 and 24, and in a plane perpendicular to these latter, form a quadrilateral, known as a false parallelogram. The

distance between the pivoting axes 19 and 21 is shorter 7 than that between the pivoting axes 23 and 24, and the front arm 20 is longer than the rear arm 22.

In the position of rest, the winding device 1 rests, via a supporting plate 33, 011 an elastic rear stop 34 provided at the bottom and to the rear of the frame 25. Thanks to the false parallelogram in which the arms 20 and 22 are arranged it is possible for the spindle 5 to be completely released with only a comparatively limited length of travel for the control jack 32 (FIGURES 1 and 3).

To limit the development of the control jack 32 and the movement of the framework 1, a stop 35 is provided on each of the side plates 2 and 3 and a stop 36 on the arm 20, these stops 35 and 36 being positioned in relation to each other in such a way that they make contact when the framework 1 occupies its operating position (FIG- URES l and 6).

In its position of rest (FIGURE 3) the framework 1 rests on the rear stop 34. In this position the straight line interconnecting the pivoting axes 19 and 21 is substantially horizontal, and the suspension arms 20 and 22 are slightly inclined towards the rear. The lever 15 is caused to move against the stop 18 by means of the pneumatic jack 17 and the upper arm 6 is in contact with its stop 23, under the action of its control jack 27. The lower arm 7, by its weight, then imparts the required tension to the belt 12, this arm 7 tending to tilt in an anti-clockwise direction around its pivoting shaft 29.

When the hydraulic jack 32 is actuated, the framework 1 is moved towards the spindle 5. It should be noted that when the framework 1 is placed in its operating position the straight line passing through the pivoting axes 19 and 21 of the framework 1 effects a partial rotation in an anti-clockwise direction, if the point 19 is regarded as the centre of rotation (see FIGURES 4-6). At the moment when when the belt 12 begins to embrace the spindle 5 the lower arm 7 performs a slight pivoting movement upwards, until it encounters the relevant stop 30 (FIGURES 4 and 5). From this moment onwards the lever 15 hearing the tension rollers 13 and 14 produces the constant tension in the belt 12, pivoting about its axis 12 towards the left, in opposition to the force developed by the pneumatic jack 17, in which a constant pressure is maintained (FIGURE 5 When the belt already embraces half the periphery of the spindle 5 a travel-limiting contactor actuates the pneumatic jack 27, by which the upper arm 6 is then moved to the closed or lowered position. The stops 35 and 36 cause the [movement of the framework 1 to cease when the latter reaches its operating position (FIGURE 6).

In FIGURE 6 dot and dash lines are also included, to show the paths of certain points of the framework 1 between the position of rest and the operating position of this unit. It may be noted that the paths A and B of the axes 26 and 29, situated in the extreme front part of the framework 1, are substantially rectilinear and horizontal, while the paths C and D of the pivoting axes 19 and 21 are curved towards the bottom, the path D of the axis 21 being inclined towards the top to a greater extent than the path C of the axis 19. Owing to this fact, resulting from the arrangement adopted in the invention, the pivoting shaft 26 of the withdrawal arm 6 can be positioned on the framework 1 very close to the front extremity of this latter, so that when the said framework 1 is in the operating position the said axis is situated substantially in the front vertical tangential plane of the spindle 5. Consequently, the withdrawal arm 6 can be relatively short, and is no longer subject to vibrations. The extension arm 7 projecting beyond the lower front extremity of the framework 1, causes the belt to form a kind of projection, ensuring that the strip of sheet metal will be efiiciently guided when it enters the winding device.

On the withdrawal of the winding device the movements of the respective parts are effected in the reverse order. The upper arm 6 is then lifted at the same time as the hydraulic jack 32 is actuated. It will be noted that the withdrawal of the winding device into its position of rest (FIGURE 3) is accelerated under the effect of the force of gravity acting on the framework 1 and its suspension devices.

While the first turns of the strip of metal are being wound onto the spindle 5 the tension of the belt 12 remain constant, as a result of the pneumatic jack 17, connected to a dampening vessel.

Needless to say, the method for the performance of the invention, as described in the foregoing and as illustrated in the attached drawing, merely serves as an example. Numerous modifications may be made thereto without thereby departing from the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A belt-controlled winding device for metal strips, comprising a framework movable on a supporting frame, said framework having a central hollowed-out part, a pivotable withdrawal arm, a number of rollers bearing a belt intended to be applied against at least three-quarters of the periphery of a spindle of a coiling device, to keep an end of the metal strip against the surface of the spindle, a front and a rear pair of suspension arms; each pair having one arm disposed on opposite sides of the framework; at least two articulating joints carried by said supporting frame to which said front and rear pair of arms are respectively connected so as to have different aXes of articulation and to thereby articulately mount the framework on the supporting frame; the front pair of arms being articulately attached to said fnamework in the neighborhood of the central hollowed-out portion and the rear pair of arms being articulately attache-d to said framework at a portion thereof which is further removed from said centnal hollowed-out portion; wherein the framework is suspended from the supporting frame by the two pairs of suspension arms and the length of the front arms being greater than the length of the rear arms and that the axes of articulation on the supporting frame are spaced further apart than the axes of articulation on the frame- Work.

2. A belt-controlled winding device for metal strips, comprising a framework movable on a supporting frame, said framework having a central hollowed-out part and a pair of side plates, a pivotable withdnawal arm, a number of rollers bearing a belt intended to be applied against at least three quarters of the periphery of a spindle of a coiling device, to keep an end of the metal strip against the surface of the spindle, jacks to control the movement of the framework and of the pivotable withdrawal arm, two pairs of suspension arms whereby the framework is suspended on the supporting frame, a quadrilateral formed by straight lines passing through points at which the suspension arms are pivotably attached to the framework and through those at which said arms are pivotably attached to the supporting frame and has a rear side smaller than a front :side, and the distance between the points at which the suspension arms are pivotably attached to the frame is greater than that between the points at which said arms are pivotably attached to the framework; at least one of the front suspension arms and one of the side plates of the framework each carry a travel-limiting stop, said stops limiting the travel of the framework when it has reached its operating position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,477,843 8/1949 Wilson 72148 2,890,003 6/1959 Jones 72--148 2,981,493 4/1961 Maximillian 72148 3,228,225 1/1966 Hiegel 72-148 3,315,510 4/1967 Jones 72-148 MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner. 

